Kim Zolciak Is Filming ‘Don’t Be Tardy’ Again — but Why Did She Get a Spin-Off in the First Place?
Don’t be tardy for the drama! Bravo star Kim Zolciak-Biermann first made a name for herself on reality TV thanks to Real Housewives of Atlanta, and she left the show in the middle of Season 5 and went on to star in her own spin-off series, Don’t Be Tardy. But she decided to return to RHOA and her stint on Season 10 ended with an explosive battle between Kim and her frenemy Nene Leakes over racist comments that Kim had allegedly made. Kim was upset with how the network was handling the scandal, which is why she decided to stop filming the upcoming season Don’t Be Tardy.
Now, Don’t Be Tardy is reportedly resumed filming again. Kim and the producers took a brief hiatus to focus on and deal with the backlash that inevitably came from Kim’s racist tirade. But all of this drama is what ultimately led her to get her own spin-off in the first place.
So why did Kim Zolciak get her own TV show?
RHOA was originally supposed to feature five black women, a source revealed, but Kim changed the producers’ minds. “Originally the [Real Housewives of Atlanta] was to be five African American women but after Bravo met Kim, they insisted she be part of the cast,” an insider told the Huffington Post. “Kim is a game-changer. She was the first housewife to release a single [“Tardy for the Party”] and just like Bethenny [Frankel], she fell in love and got pregnant while taping the show. She’s the perfect choice for the next lady to get her own show.”
But it was also not a secret that Kim did not get along well with the rest of her co-stars, and her abrupt exit from RHOA during Season 5 came after her co-stars called her out for not being a good friend during a sit-down brunch. She was eight months pregnant at the time, and she said she realized during that moment that being on the show wasn’t worth all of the stress that she was going through so she decided to leave the show. “I have an amazing life with a great husband and awesome kids, why am I sitting here being attacked when I could be home being loved by my family,” she wrote in a Bravo blog back in 2012. “So I got up and left.”
What did Kim Zolciak say during the reunion?
After she was acccused of being racist from her co-stars, Bravo cameras followed Kim backstage and captured a conversation between her and reunion host Andy Cohen. Kim could be heard saying that racism isn’t “real.” She got a ton of backalsh for those comments, and she took to Instagram to issue an apology.
“During the last RHOA reunion episode, I made a comment that confused and offended people. I sincerely apologize. Edited out of context, I understand why my remark angered people [sic],” she wrote on Instagram. “Racism is a sad reality in the United States. It has been prevalent throughout our country’s history. Let me be very clear, I do NOT support, tolerate or put up with any form of racism, hate or other discrimination.”
“My love for ALL people runs deep – I am open to all and always have been,” she continued. “I was heartbroken when I watched the last few minutes of the episode and saw how my words were taken out of context. My comment that seemingly ‘racism didn’t exist 10 years ago’ was made as part of a larger, emotional 45-minute conversation about how, sadly, social media has become a hub for hate. Immediately following my confusing comment, I also said that ‘it’s not as real as it is now’ referring to the power of social media. But those remarks didn’t make the show [sic].”
Will Kim return to Real Housewives of Atlanta?
As a result of the scandal, it doesn’t appear that Kim will be returning to RHOA. When asked if she would be back next season, Kim responded, “Never,” though she is more than fine staying with Bravo to work on Don’t Be Tardy, and the spin-off will wrap on July 1. “Kim and Bravo agreed she wouldn’t come back,” a source explained. “None of the girls will film with her. They refuse.”
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